Notice of Online Privacy Policy for MedStar Health
Effective Date: April 1, 2026
This Online Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) describes how we may collect, use, and share information about you when you access or interact with our website, medstarhealth.org (the “Site”) operated by MedStar Health Inc. (“MedStar Health”, “we”, “us”, “our”).
This Privacy Policy does not apply to Protected Health Information. MedStar Health maintains a separate Notice of Privacy Practices, pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”), that applies to Protected Health Information that we collect from individuals. Click here to view our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Please note that this Privacy Policy does not cover online or other services that are offered under a different privacy policy, such as the Patient Portal, which is operated by our electronic medical record application.
Information you provide to us
When you interact with the Site, you may submit or otherwise provide certain information that may identify you as an individual. For example, when you complete a contact form or register for an event we (or our vendors on our behalf) may collect “Identifiers and Contact information” such as, name, telephone number, and email address; or if you make a donation or sign up for a class, you may be asked to submit your billing information to our payment processing vendor.
If you apply for a position through our Careers Page, we may collect employment-related information such as your educational background, work experience, and information about certifications and licensure. You may voluntarily choose to provide us with your racial or ethnic identity, gender identity, and veteran status when you apply for a position with us.
Online tracking technologies
In addition to information you voluntarily choose to submit through the Site, we and our vendors (including content and analytics providers and advertising companies) may use a variety of tracking technologies (such as cookies and web beacons) that automatically or passively collect information when you visit certain pages on our Site or if you interact with one of our advertisements or other content elsewhere online. This type of “Usage Information” may include the browser you are using, your IP address or other unique identifier, search terms, the URL that referred you to our Site, pages that you visit, and the time of the visit.
Cookies are small data files stored by your web browser on your computer. Cookies may allow a website to, for example, recognize a user’s device, record user preferences, track the pages a user clicks on while visiting the website, and identify the website visited immediately beforehand. We or third parties may use cookies to collect data about your activities over time and across different devices and online properties when you use the Site. Most web browsers accept cookies by default, but you may be able to adjust your browser settings to remove or reject cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may invalidate opt outs that use cookies to recognize devices that have opted out.
Web beacons are another type of electronic file (also referred to as a clear gif or pixel tag) that permit us, for example, to count visitors who have viewed certain pages or opened a marketing email from us, and for other related statistics (such as recording the popularity of certain content and verifying system and server integrity).
Data analytics and advertising
We may use third-party web analytics services to understand how visitors use certain pages on the Site, and we review website engagement analytics to improve the Site and optimize the visitor experience. For example, we may use Crazy Egg for analytical purposes. When we use Crazy Egg, we aggregate data to understand how users interact with pages on our Site. To learn more about Crazy Egg’s data collection practices, you can click here to view Crazy Egg’s privacy policy.
In addition, third-party ad technology companies and advertisers may use, store, or access cookies, web beacons, and other online technologies to provide advertising services to us, including advertisements targeted to your interests. To find out more about digital advertising companies’ privacy practices and how you may opt out of information collection, please visit: youradchoices.com or networkadvertising.org. Please note that we do not control how other parties manage their opt-out processes.
Your web browser may have settings that allow you to transmit a “Do Not Track” signal when you visit various websites or use online services. Like many websites, this Site is not designed to respond to “Do Not Track” signals received from browsers.
Information about you collected by other parties
We may engage vendors to provide certain interactive features on the Site. Your use of those interactive features is voluntary. Please note we may use artificial intelligence tools to operate interactive features, and we may retain the information that you submit through those features. For example, we offer an interactive chat feature on our Careers Page to assist you with applying for a position. When you participate in the interactive chat, the contents of the chat may be captured and kept as a transcript. By using these features, you understand that our vendors may process the information obtained through the feature to provide the service on our behalf.
We, and our vendors, may use your information in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected or authorized by you, including for the following purposes:
- To provide products and services you request (such as when you subscribe to our MedStar Health Blog or sign up for one of our classes or events);
- To facilitate your donation to MedStar Health;
- To respond to requests, questions, and comments, and provide other types of user support;
- To send marketing communications, or direct you to content that we believe may interest you;
- To communicate about, and administer your participation in, classes, programs, and other events;
- To carry out, evaluate, and improve our business (which may include developing new features for the Site, analyzing and enhancing the user experience, and managing our communications);
- To perform data analytics regarding usage of certain pages on the Site;
- To guard against, identify, and prevent fraud and other criminal activity;
- To comply with applicable legal requirements, law enforcement requests, and our company policies; and
- For any other purpose, with your consent.
Our agents, vendors, consultants, affiliates, and other service providers may have access to the information we described above to carry out work on our behalf. For example, we may use service providers to help us operationally or to administer activities on our behalf, such as sending emails. Those parties are subject to confidentiality obligations and are restricted from using your information collected through the Site for purposes other than to provide the requested assistance. In addition, we may disclose information:
- If we are required to do so by law, regulation, or legal process (such as a court order or subpoena);
- In response to requests from government agencies, such as law enforcement authorities;
- If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss, or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity;
- In the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets (including a reorganization, dissolution, or liquidation) and negotiations of such transactions; and
- With your consent or at your discretion.
Social features
The Site may permit you to interact with social media platforms operated by unaffiliated parties, for example, to “like” MedStar Health or to share certain content from the Site on those platforms (“Social Features”). If you choose to “like” or share content or post information using Social Features, that information may be publicly displayed, and the party operating the other platform may receive certain information about you and your use of certain pages on the Site. Similarly, if you interact with us through Social Features (e.g., if you “like” or “follow” our page on another platform), we may have access to information about you from that platform. Please note that if you mention or comment about MedStar Health or our Site in your post on another platform, that platform may allow us to publish your post on our Site. In addition, we may receive information about you if a user on a social media platform gives us access to their profile and you are one of their connections, or information about you is otherwise accessible through that other user. You should review the terms, policies, and settings of these other platforms to learn more about their data practices and/or adjust your settings.
Your choices
We offer choices about the types of information you receive from us. You may opt out of email marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the body of the email or by completing the MedStar Health Marketing & Communications opt out form.
If you reside in Delaware or Maryland, you may have additional privacy rights as further described in the Additional information for Delaware and Maryland residents section.
Links from MedStar Health to other sites
The Site may contain links to other websites for your convenience and information. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites, which may have their own privacy policies or notices. You should review those privacy policies to understand how they may use or disclose your information. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of linked websites that we do not control.
Children's privacy
The Site is not intended for children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect information online from individuals under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have obtained information from an individual under the age of 13, we will delete such information in accordance with applicable law.
How we protect personal information
Information for users outside the United States
If you are visiting the Site from outside the United States, please be aware that information we obtain about you will be processed in the United States or in other jurisdictions. By using the Site, you acknowledge your information may be transferred to, and processed in, jurisdictions outside your own. Please be aware that the data protection laws and regulations that apply to your information transferred to the United States or other countries may be different from the laws in your country of residence.
Additional information for Delaware and Maryland residents
Please note that this section does not apply to Protected Health Information under HIPAA, which is exempt from the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act (DPDPA) and Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA). This section supplements the other parts of our Privacy Policy and describes the rights of consumers in Delaware under the DPDPA and consumers in Maryland under the MODPA. Any terms defined in the DPDPA or MODPA that are used in this section shall have the same meaning as set forth in each law respectively as applicable to the consumers of that state.
You can learn more about the type of personal data we process in the Information MedStar Health may collect section above, the purpose for which we process your personal data in the How we may use your information section above, and our disclosure of personal data in the How we may disclose your information section above.
Privacy Rights
You may have the right to make certain requests surrounding your personal data, including:
Right to Access. You have the right to confirm whether we are processing your personal data, to access your personal data, and to obtain a copy of personal data you provided to us in a portable format.
Right to Delete. You have the right to request that we delete personal data that we have collected from, or obtained about you.
Right to Correct. You have the right to request that we correct inaccuracies in your personal data.
Right to Opt Out. We do not sell personal data or process personal data for targeted advertising, and as such we do not offer the right to opt out. We do not engage in practices that qualify as “profiling” which produces legal or similar significant effects, and as such we do not offer the right to opt out of profiling.
Right to Obtain Information about Certain Third Parties. You have the right to obtain a list of the categories of third parties with whom we have disclosed personal data.
Right to Withdraw Consent. In the event that we process any sensitive data from you, you have the right to withdraw your consent for such processing.
Right to Appeal. The right to appeal our decision if you are unsatisfied with our actions related to the exercise of one of your privacy rights.
Please note that the privacy rights in this section do not extend to Protected Health Information we collect pursuant to HIPAA. Please visit our Notice of Privacy Practices to learn more about any rights we offer regarding your Protected Health Information. To exercise your privacy rights above, please submit a request by emailing us at privacyofficer@medstar.net.
Please note that, if you submit a request, we may ask you to provide additional information that we will match against our records to authenticate your identity. We will only use any personal data provided to authenticate the requestor’s identity. For some opt out requests, you may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy is subject to change at our discretion. We will indicate changes to the Privacy Policy by updating the “Effective Date” at the beginning of the Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Site after any update to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of the changes.